Bluetooth Technology

Developed in 1994, Bluetooth was intended as a wireless replacement for cables.

Bluetooth uses less power and costs less to implement than Wi-Fi.

As technology has evolved, however, Bluetooth speeds have increased.

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The Bluetooth 4.0 specification was officially adopted on July 6, 2010.

Bluetooth version 4.0 features include low energy consumption, low cost, multivendor interoperability, and enhanced range.

Connecting With Bluetooth

Many mobile devices have Bluetooth radios embedded in them.

The process of connecting two Bluetooth devices is called “pairing.”

This pairing process can vary depending on the devices involved.

Bluetooth Limitations

There are some downsides to Bluetooth.

How Secure Is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is considered a reasonably secure wireless technology when used with precautions.

Connections are encrypted, preventing casual eavesdropping from other devices nearby.

Bluetooth devices also shift radio frequencies often while paired, which prevents an easy invasion.

Devices also offer a variety of tweaks that allow the user to limit Bluetooth connections.

The unit-level security of “trusting” a Bluetooth unit restricts connections to only that specific unit.

As with any wireless technology, however, there is always some security risk involved.

Hackers have devised a variety of malicious attacks that use Bluetooth networking.

FAQ

Bluetooth 5.0 is thenewest version of the wireless standard.

Devices began supporting Bluetooth in mid-2017, and it’s now implemented in many compatible Bluetooth devices.

Bluetooth 5.0 offers four times the range, twice the speed, and improved bandwidth over Bluetooth 4.0.